Dishwashing machine



G. s. BLAKESLEE ET AL 1,712,728

' DISHWASHING MACHINE May 14', 1929.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1925 VIIIII IIIIIIIII/A Idem P. M A a.

ay 1929- s. s. BLAKESLEE ET AL 1,712,728

DI SHWASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 2, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1929. G. s. BLAKESLEE ET AL 1,712,728

- DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 2, 192:: 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 y 1929. G; s BLAKESLEE ET AL 1,712,728

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 2, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 chine, and particularly to that type of such 4 paddles or dashers,

Patented May: 1-4, 1929. v

UNITED STATES! PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. BLAKESLEE ,GEORGE P. ANSTISS 01' OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ABSIGNOBS TO G. S. BLAKESLEE & 00., OF OICERQILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

msnwasn me MACHINE.

Our invention relates to dish washing mamachines in which the dishes to be washed are placed in areceptacle commonly called a basket and are moved through the machine over the wash water which is Contained in a tank below the pathof the basket, meanwhile water from the tank being thrown on the dishes by means of a paddle wheel which dips into the water in the tank. The object of our invention is to provide improved means in the form of gates for closing the ends of the washing compartment while the dishes therein are being washed, to provide improved means-for operating said gates, and to provide improved means for sprayin the dishes after they have been washed and For preventing the spray water from passin into the wash water tank. We accomplish jects as illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more particularly described. What we regard as new is set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,-- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of our improved dish washing machine taken on line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3-is a detail, beinga partial front view illustrating the tripping device for the spraying mechanism, part 1 of the basket being shown in section; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, being a partial sectional view on line H of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view i lustrating-a part of one of the sprocket wheels and the chain and counter-balance weight associatedtherewith a Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6+6, of Fig. 1' a Fig is an enlar ed view of one of the eing a sectionon line '7-7 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a front view of one of said 'pad-' 'dles, the shaft on which the paddles are mounted being shown in elevation;

Fig. 9 1s a detail, being asection on line 99 of Fig. 7, the paddle shaft being omitted;

Fig. 10 is also a detail, being a section on line 1010 of Fig. 7

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one of the baskets, illustrating the dish-supporting rack carried thereby; v a

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section on line 12 12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of the dish-supporting rack;

: of such rack.

Referring to the drawings, 15 indicates the main body of the machine, which, generally speaking, is a rectangular structure of sheet iron, the lower portion of which is in the form of a tank 16 supported on le s 17. The tank 16 is adapted to contain was water which is usually hot and contains a suitable cleansing composition such as soap or washing powder. 7

A drain pipe 18 is connected with the bottom of the tank and connects with a pipe 19 which leads to the sewer b a pipe 20. The latter pipe extends upwar beyond the pipe 19 and is provided at its upper end with an overflow connection 21 communicating with the interior of the tank 16 at the height at which it is desired to maintain the level of .the water therein, as shown' in Fi 1.- The pi e 19 also connects with an uprig t pipe 22 w ich carries off the rinsing-water as hereinafter described. The ipe 18 is provided with a valve 23 contro led by an operating rod 24 as shown in' Fig. 2, so that the operator ma at pleasure draw off the water from the ta 16 or regulate the water level therein. a

Extendin longitudinally of the machin over the tan 16 and at opposite sides thereof are two oppositely-disposed an le bars 25, 26

with horizontal portions 27, 28 near their up:

per endswhich form supports or tracks on which the baskets hereinafter described rest while the are passing through the machine.

, Upright anges 29, 30 are provided above the horizontal'portions 27 ,28 to serve as guides for the baskets and to hold them against distends across the washing compartment under the dishes and above the water for the purpose of catching the solid articles that are washed from the dishes, and preventing them from passing into the wash water. The screen placement. At their lower ends the bars 25, f

may be lifted from the flan es 31, 32 when it is desired to remove it for c eansing purposes or to permit access to the interior of the tank 16. The washing compartment is indicated by 34 in Fig. 1 and it occupies the space be' tween the end walls 35, 36 of the machine, and the cover or hood 37 thereof. The entrance and exit openings in the end walls are ar= ranged to be closed while the dishes are being Washed by means of vertically-sliding gates 38, 39 in the form of metal plates arranged to slide in guideways 40, 41, respectively, a pair of guideways being secured to the inner face of each of the end walls in any suitable way. Any suitable means for guiding the gates so that they may slide freely vertically may be employed. The gates at the opposite ends of the machine are arranged to be operated in unison, and to this end they are connected by a rod 42 which extends centrally over the hood 37, as shown in Fig. 2, and are suspended by chains 43, 44,.as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, from sprocket wheels 45, 46, mounted upon the end portions of a shaft'47. This shaft is mounted in brackets 48, 49 secured to a rectangular frame 50 which rises from the main ody of the machine, and it is arranged to be rotated by a crank 51 as shown in Fig. 1. The upper ends of the brackets 48, 49 are braced by a cross-bar 52. The chains 43, 44 extend over the upper portions of the sprocket wheels 45, 46 as shown in Fig. 2, and are attached to a counterbalance weight 53 preferably cylindrical in form and of such length that it may pass between the two sprocket wheels, as

shown in Fig. 1. The upper ends of the chains 43, 4.4 are connected with trunnions 54, 55 at the ends of the weight 53 by links 56 spaced apart and adapted to straddle the teeth of the sprocket wheels so that the weight 53 may be carried up partly around the sprocket wheels, as shown in Fig. 2, without displacing the chains. As shown in Fig. 2, the length of the chains 43, 44 is such that when the gates are down in operative posit-ion the counterbalance weight 53 will be quite close to a vertical plane intersecting the shaft 47 and consequently said weight will be considerably nearer the axis of the sprocket wheels than when the gates are raised, at which time the .weight will be in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and consequently its leverage on the sprocket-wheels will correspond in length to the radius of said wheels. It will be obvious, therefore, that when the gates are down in operative position the lifting effect of the counterbalance weight 53will be much less than when the gates have been partly raised, since the raising of the gates causes the counterbalance wei ht to move laterally to the left Fig. 2, thereby. increasing its as viewed in leverage on the sprocket wheels. The counterbalance weight is made heavy enough to prac-. tically counterbalance the weight of the gates,

and, therefore, when the gates are down it does not have sufficient leverage to start them up, and accordingly a tight closure may be maintained during the washin operation. When, however the operator li the ates the efiect of the eounterba ance slightly weight is increased and facilitates the raising of the gates to their highest position.

The washing of the dishes is effected by means of a series of paddles or dashers 57, preferably four, which are mounted in spaced relation to each other on a shaft 58 that extends longitudinally of the machine at one side of the washing compartment and some whatbelow the level of the basket, as best shown in Fig. 2. The shaft 58 is mounted in suitable hearings in the end walls of the machine, and at one end it carries a pulley 59 through which it is driven by means of a belt 60 operating over a pulley 61 carried by the armature shaft 62 of an electric motor 63, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The motor 3 is mounted on a suitable platform (34 carried by a framework 65 at one side of the machine. The tension of the belt 60 is maintained by a belt tightener 66 yieldingly pressed against the belt 60 by aspring 67 shown in Fig. 2. The motor is arranged to rotate the shaft 58 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and consequently the paddles, which are arranged in staggered relation to each other on said shaft so that they dip successively or alternately into the water in the tank, take up the water and throw it upward and laterally into the washing compartment, thereby thoroughly drenching the dishes contained therein. The paddle wheel compartment 68 is best shown in Fig. 2, from which it will be seen that it is enclosed by an inclined hood 69 which connects with one of the side walls of the main body of the machine at or near the top of the washing compartment. Beneath the hood 69 is a deflector 70 arranged to direct the. water luterallytoward the washing compartment and to some extent down upon the dishes. Extending beneath and partly around the paddles is a deflecting plate 71 which cooperates with the paddles to direct the water upward and also promotes the action of the paddles bv holding the water in their path. Said plate serves the further purpose of preserving quiescence to a considerable extent of the main body of Water in the tank by preventing it from being continually stirred up by the operation of the paddle wheel, so that the tank constitutes a sediment chamber in which solid matter settles, leaving the wash water purer.- The inner margin of the deflecting plate 71- is extended laterally for a short distance and serves as a sup ort for a screen 72, the upper margin of w iich is supported by the bar 26 This screen serves to strain the water paming to the water throwing means and prevent any solid impurities in the water from gaining access to the paddles, and, therefore, aids in keeping the water thrown by them free from all impurities except such as are fine enough to pass through the screen.

The construction of'the paddles is best shown in Figs. 7 to 10, inclusive. As tllfli" shown, each of said paddles comprises two side plates 7 3, 7 4, segmental in form and connected near one margin acurved plate which as shown at 76 in F ig. 10 is welded to the side plates so as to make watertight connection therewith. Thus the paddles are somewhat triangular in shape, the upper margins 77 of the side plates providing com-.

paratively sharp edges which enter the water easily without disturbance. The end of the plate 75 adjacent to themargin 77 is curved back upon itself to form a loop 78 which clamps the shaft 58, and the overlapping end thereof is secured to the. main body of the plate by bolts 79. A set screw 80 serves as a further means for securing the paddle in place on the shaft 58. As shown in Fig. 2, the curved margin 81 of the paddle is in close proximity to the guide plate 71 and said guide plate is curved to conform to the curvature of said margin so' that as the paddle rotates the water taken up by it is confined between the side Walls 73, 74 and the curved plate 75 7 until it is discharged in an overshot mannor by the rotation of the paddle wheel.

The dishes to be washed are placed in rec tangular baskets 82 preferably made of sheet metal, and are supported therein by means of wooden racks 83, the construction of which is best illustrated in Figs. 11 to 14. Each of said racks comprises a plurality of longitudinally-disposed wooden bars 84: spaced apart and held in fixed relation to each other by a series of cross-rods 85, also of wood, which are fitted in transverse holes in the bars 84, thereby forming a. reticulated framework.

The bars 84 are spaced apart the proper dis tance to receivebetween them cups or similar articles, and the cross-rods 85 are also spaced properly to support such articles, as illustrated in Fig. 11. Large plates are'supported by two adjacent longitudinal bars 84: as illustrated in said figure, and other smaller dishes or dishes of irregular shape may be supported either by single bars or by several. For the purpose of supporting plates and other relatively fiat dishes, the longitudinal bars 84 are provided with upwardly extending pins or fingers 86 in the form of wooden pieces rectangular in cross-section and rovided with square tenons 87 that are driven into round holes 88 which extend through the bars 84 from the top downward, prefer ably slightly inclined from the vertical, as illustrated in Fig. 12. By providing the fingers 86 with the square tenons'and driving them into the round holes 88 as described, the fingers are firmly secured in place as the corners of the tenons cut into the bars to some extent and are wedged tightly, in place. Back of each of the fingers 86 transverse notches 89 are provided in the upper surfaces of the bars 84' to receive the edges of saucers, plates and the like, and the fingers 86 cooperate with said notches to secure. the dishes firmly so that they are not displaced by the wash water thrown upon them. The rack is supported in the basket by means of inwardly-projecting flanges 90 at the ends of the basket on which glfi eplds the the bars 84 rest, as shown in tray 91 is provided at the inlet end of the machine on which the baskets are placed before being introduced thereinto. The bottom of. this tray is on a level with the horizontal flanges 27, 28 of the bars 25, 26, so that the basket may be shoved along the tray and into the machine and will naturally ride on the fianges'27, 28. Angle-iron guides 92 are provided at the outlet end of the machine on a level with the flanges 27, 28 to receive the baskets as they come out of the machine, and a tray 93 is placed in position to receive the baskets from the guides 92, as shown in Fig. 1. The guides 92 are supported by the side members 94 of'a housing that forms a rinsing compartment 95 at the outlet end of the machine, and separated from the washing compartment by the gate at that side of the machine when the latter is closed. At the bottom of said rinsing compartnient is a trough 96 with which the drain pipe 22 communicates, the inner wall 97 of said trough serving to separate it from the washing compartment since it'rises high enough to overlap the lower marginof the gate 39 when the latter is closed.

The rinsing of the dishes is done by means of. spraysdelivered from perforated pipes supplied from a hot water supply pipe 98 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which pipe leads to a transversely-disposed perforated pipe 99, whichis arranged over the path of the dishes in the rising compartment 95, and to a similar pipe 100 arranged in the rinsing compartment under the path of the dishes, as

best shown in Fig". 1 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. lln addition to these two pipes which are the main rinsing pipes, there is a third perforated pipe 101 disposed vertically adjacent to the outlet opening from the washing compartment and at the'inner side of said opening, as shown in said figures. The pipe 101 is also connected with the pipe 98, which is preferably provided with a valve'102 located so that it may be used to cut off the supply of water from all three perforated pipes. The purpose of the pipe "101 is to give the dishes a preliminary dash of water to remove any wash water that may adhere to them and permit it to return to the wash water tank, while the pipes 99 and 100 give the dishes the final rinsing and promote their drying, since the rinsing water is very hot and the dishes dry almost instantly on removal from the machine.

Normally the discharge of water from the several rinsing pipes is controlled automatically by the introduction of a basket into the machine in the following manner. A rockshaft 103 is mounted so that it extends longitudinally of the machine adjacent to the path of the baskets, and is provided with an arm 104 connected by a link. 105 with an arm 106 which bears against a stern 107 of a valve 108 carried by the pipe 98,as best shown in Fig. 4, the arrangement being such that by rocking the shaft103 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4 the valve stem 107 will .be pressed in, thereby opening the valve 108 and admittingwater to the several rinsing pipes. lChe shaft 103 is rocked in the manner indicated when a basket is pushed into the machine, by means of an arm 109 carried by said shaft, as shown in Fig. 3, and provided with a bevelled head 110 which normally projects into the path of the baskets as they are moved into the machine so as to be engaged by one side of the front end .thereof. Consequently, the forward movement of the basket acting on the bevelled surface 111 of said head will rock the arm 109 to the right as viewed in Fig. 3 and open the valve 108. As soon as the hasket clears the head 110 the valve 108 closes and the parts are restored to their normal position. As each basket enters the machine it pushes out the one containing the dishes which have just been washed, and, therefore, the outgoing dishes are rinsed while the fresh basket being introduced into the machine.

Preferably the water in the tank 10 1S heated gas burners 112, as shown 1n F1gs. 1 and 2, but it may be heated in any suitable way.

While we have described with considerable particularity the machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings, we wish it to be understood that our invention is not restricted to the specific construction shown and described except in so far as specific features are particularly claimed. We believe ourselvesto be the first in the art to provide adifferentially-acting counterbalance weight in connection with the gate or gates of a dish washing machine, that is tosay, a counterbalance weight the lifting effect of which on the load or gate is automatically varied by increasing or reducing the leverage of the weight by vertical movement of the gate, and this especially is claimed broadly. -The improved basket shown and described is not claimed herein as it constitutes the subject matter of a divisional application filed March 28, 1925, Serial No. 19,019. The improved paddle shown and described is not separately claimed herein as per 'se it constitutes the subject matter of a divisional application filed March 28, 1925, Serial No. 19,020. i

What' we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment, means for supporting articles to be washed as they are moved through said compartment, means for throwing water on the articles to be washed, a vertically movable gate for closing and opening an opening into said compartment, a sp rocket wheel arranged above said gate, a flexible connection operating over said sprocket wheel and connected with the gate at one side of the axis of said wheel, and a counter balance weight connected with said flexible connection at the opposite side of the axis of said sprocket wheel and arranged to ride partly over said sprocket wheel, to move closer to the vertical plane of the axis thereof when the gate approaches its lowermost position.

2. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment having inlet and out let openings at opposite ends thereof, vertically movable gates for closing said openings, spraying means in said compartment adjacent to said outlet opening, a rinsing compartment adjacent to said outlet opening and separable from the washing com partment by one of said gates, a trough at the bottom of said rinsing compartment, said trough having an inner wall extending above the lower margin of the adjacent gate when said gate is closed, and a drain pipe for draining the water from said rinsing compartment.

It dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment having inlet and outlet openings at opposite ends thereof, a tank below the washing compartment, angle bars extending longitudinally of said washing compartment at opposite sides of the lower portion thereof, said bars having outturned horizontal portions near their upper ends adapted to support baskets containing the articles to be washed above the tank, said outturned portions having upright flanges tor guiding the baskets, and horizontal 1nturncd flanges at the lower margins of said bars, a screen disposed under the path of the baskets and suppdrted by the inturned flanges of said bars, and means at one side of said screen for throwing water from the tank on said articles.

4. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment, a tank below said washing compartment, means in the lower portion of said compartment for supporting the baskets containing articles to be washed, a horizontallydisposed screen under the path of the baskets, means at one side of said basket supporting means for throwing water from said tank upon the articles to be washed, and a screen supported in the tank above the bottom thereof and between said water throwing means and said horizontally disposed screen.

5. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment having inlet and outlet openings at opposite ends thereof, a tank below said washing compartment, means in the lower portion of said washing compartment for supporting the baskets containing the articles to be washed, a horizontally disposed screen under the path of the baskets, means at one side of the path of the baskets for throwing water from said tank upon the articles to be washed, a deflecting plate extending under said wate'rthrowing means, and a screen supported above the bottom of the tank between said deflecting plate and said first mentioned screen,

6. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment having inlet and outlet openings at opposite ends thereof, means in the lower portion of said washing coinpartment for supporting the baskets containing the articles to be washed, a tank under the path of the baskets, a shaft at one side of the path of 'the. baskets, paddles carried by said shaft for throwing water from said tank upon the articles to be washed, a guard having a curved portion extending into the water in the tank partly around the paddles and lying adjacent to the peripheral portions of said paddles, and a screen between the lower portion of said guard and said basket supporting means.

7. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment having inlet and outlet openings at the opposite ends thereof, means in the lower portion of said washing compartment for supporting the baskets containing the articles to be washed, a screen carried by said means under the path of the baskets, a tank under the path of the baskets, a shaft at one side of the path of the has kets, paddles carried by said sha ft for throwin water from said tank upon the articles to be washed, a guard having a lower curved portion extending into the water in the tank partly around the paddles and lying adjacent to the peripheral portions of said paddles, and a screen between the lower portion of said guard and said basket supporting means,

8. A dish washing machine comprising a washing compartment having inlet and outletopeningsat opposite ends thereof, gates for closing said openings, a spray pipe in the washing compartment adjacent to one of said gates and discharging into said con'ipartinent, spraying means at the opposite side of the latter gate arranged to discharge outside of the washing compartment, a supply pipe connected with said spray pipe and said spraying means, and a single valve controlling the discharge of water through said spray pipe and spraying means.

GEORGE S. BLAKESLEE. GEORGE P. ANSTISS. 

